HARARE - President Robert Mugabe denied planning to rig ZimbabweÂ’s elections on Saturday and said that although he was sure of winning he would be ready to accept defeat.| Not that he's expecting to be defeated, of course ... |
Zimbabweans are voting in the most crucial election since independence from Britain in 1980, with Mugabe facing the biggest challenge of his 28-year-rule. He faces a formidable two-pronged attack from veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and ruling party defector Simba Makoni. Both accuse him of plotting to rig the poll.
If no candidate wins more than 51 percent of the vote on Saturday, the election will go into a second round, when the two opposition parties would likely unite. Critics say Mugabe will do his utmost, including rigging, to avoid this happening.
He said on Saturday that a second round was unlikely. “We are not used to boxing matches where we go from round one to round two. We just knock each other out,” said Mugabe. “That’s how we have done it in the past. That’s how we will do it this time."
Asked how he rated his chances of winning, Mugabe said: “Very good. I rate them the same way as in the past. We will succeed. We will conquer.”
| 'Conquer' being the key word. |